Prevent Dry Skin by Avoiding Very Hot Water

Winter weather promotes dry, flaky, itchy skin so I’m going to give you some tips on how to prevent dry, winter skin. Whether you take a bath or a shower, make sure you use warm water, not hot water because hot water, first, over dries your skin. It does that by opening the pores and, when you open your pores, you lose more moisture. That makes your skin drier. In addition, hot water, while it may relieve itching that you already have, is a real sucker bet, because 15 minutes after your bath or shower with hot water, there’s a reflex release of histamine in your skin and that makes you itch even more. If you have a choice between taking a bath or a shower, take a bath because during a bath, your skin will absorb much more moisture. And whatever you do, don’t put any oil in the bath water because that oil will actually coat your skin and prevent your skin from absorbing moisture. When you’re done with your bath or shower, pat dry, don’t rub dry, and immediately apply moisturizer and use a rich moisturizer. If you put your moisturizer on right away, it will help to lock in whatever moisture your skin picked up in your bath or shower.

As good as hot water showers might feel during the winter, they're also a leading cause of dry skin and itchy skin. Dr. Schultz explains why this is and how to avoid dry skin and itchy skin by avoiding very hot water during the winter, as well as a few more water related tips.